Tag Archive | Dellani

Now that Something New is over, a decision must be made. What next? I have so many books to choose from. The number of finished novels is now 75 (at least at the writing of his post. Could be more than that by the time it goes live).

So, the question that needs to be answered is this: What shall I share next? I admit myself in a quandary. Should I share A Novel Romance about Lionel the genius college professor? Or perhaps Mirrored, the sequel to Conduct UnbecomingandThe Ninja Tattoo (another Teague McMurtry mystery)? I also have a story set in rural Kentucky in 1939, called Poplar Mountain Mystery. And don’t forget First Love, a young adult romantic suspense set in 1975. I’ll even consider Love, Death & Pizza, a modern murder mystery. I can head down a variety of roads.

Usually, I don’t get much response to a post like this, but I still hold out hope that at least one or two people will tell me what they’d like to read. Below are short blurbs with each title I’ve mentioned. Please leave a note in the comments and let me know which one interests you. Thank you! Dellani

A Novel Romance is set in my city (somewhere up North). It’s about Lionel Pettigrew, a flighty, brilliant college professor, who can’t seem to keep both feet on the ground. Not for lack of trying, he’s just a genius with a serious ADHD problem and a hard core caffeine addiction. When he meets his new research assistant, Arista Lockhart, the bullet train in his brain slows to a more manageable speed and he finds himself falling in love.

Mirrored is another Teague McMurtry mystery, set after Conduct Unbecoming and TheNinja Tattoo. Teague’s cousin Joel is on medical leave from the police force due to a work sustained injury—a man he arrested sliced him on the thigh with a knife. He’s now living in Teague’s old place on Riverside Drive, next to the elderly Millie. When she gets spooked one evening when walking her dog, Joel is concerned—but not half as concerned as Millie’s great-granddaughter, Cora Surray, who has come to live with her great-grandmother. Is it someone from Teague’s past or Joel’s who threatens their safety?

Poplar Mountain Mystery is set in rural Kentucky in 1939. Lucius Henry works for a small boarding school situated on land his great-grandfather leased to them many years ago. His father, shattered by WW I, is an abusive drunk who, not surprisingly, turns up dead. However, it becomes clear that it was no accident. It’s up to Lucius, and his girlfriend, Dorothea Belloit, to discover what’s going on and who’s behind it.

First Love is set in New Mexico in 1975. Madison Reynolds is visiting a small mission church with her Presbyterian youth group. If her on-going battle with another girl, Claire, weren’t enough, she finds herself embroiled in a mystery that threatens her and her friends. Drawn to the minister’s son, Gabriel, Maddie is in a quandary when her friend, Clayton, makes his feelings for her clear. They embark on a dangerous voyage of discovery, determined to find out who is threatening them and why.

The final choice is Love, Death & Pizza, a romantic suspense set in western Nebraska. Owner of Parnell’s Pizza Palace, Brock Parnell is not a man to start a fight, but by his own admission, he’ll surely finish it. Bullied as a teenager, and further harassed as an adult, by Tack Carmichael, Brock isn’t terribly disappointed to find out that Tack’s been killed. He actually does a celebration dance, until the cops come knocking at his door. Offended by their stupidity, Brock endures a late night interrogation by two police detectives, but he has nothing to feel guilty about. He didn’t kill Tack. They don’t believe him, but Assistant District Attorney, Adrianna Hasselhoff, does. However, someone seems very keen to pin Tack’s murder on Brock.

These are your choices, choose well because you’ll be enduring the fruits of your choice for the next however many weeks. I really would appreciate feedback, so please let your choices be known by commenting below. If we get a tie, I’ll draw a name from the hat. ~ Dellani

I’m excited! I finally got my elderly copy of Photo Explosion to work again! YAY! This means I can work on covers for a few of my books. That may not sound all that exciting to others, but to me, it’s thrilling. I’ve been wanting to get Bad Fall out (maybe with an extra something at the end – hint hint) and haven’t been able to get the quality of lettering I want. I can’t afford to pay someone to do it for me, so I’m stuck with doing it myself.

I have to admit, I’m pretty proud of my cover for Bad Fall, which I will present all in good time. I haven’t decided when I’m bringing it out, still doing final edits, etc, so it will probably be a couple months at least. However, got the husband and son seal of approval on the cover, so now the real business begins. Wish me luck!

I haven’t felt much like posting all 3 sections, but am posting this section here for people to read. Next week, I will post the last 2 sections.

In the last episode, Matilda was leading her crew on a solo dive in the mine. Though her supervisor had said he would be with her, he surprised her at the last minute. Neither of them could have anticipated what happened next, an explosion in the mine.

The next ladder had fallen out of the wall and the safety ring wasn’t terribly secure, but their lines were not long enough to reach the ladder at the next intersection.

Stella was in a panic and shoved Jane aside. Both women lost their footing and fell. The floor, already unstable, collapsed. Jane dangled from her rope, but Stella’s was not yet attached. Screaming, she flailed around trying to attach her line, but it fell out of her grasp. James lunged for her, forgetting he and Bobby were roped together. The floor could not take their combined weight and crumbled.

Stella fell, her face a mask of fear and panic. Her line snaked down behind her. She never made a sound. James and Bobby dangled by the line as the others scrambled to help them back up.

The safety ring groaned as they swung over the pit, bending in its concrete block. James hung still, watching where Stella had fallen, but Bobby, dangling beneath him, was desperately trying to take the hands of the others who had lain down to distribute their weight around the hole.

The two strongest men were on the edge of the hole as the rest of the team moved off down the other tunnel to reach the ladder. Matilda pulled up Jane and together they held the men’s belts.

“Call base,” Jane grunted.

“Base, this is 4-6-2.” No answer. “Base, this is 4-6-2, do you copy?” Static.

“We are at ladder seven, Base. Floor is collapsing. One member down, two in trouble!”

“Say again, 4-6-2.”

She repeated herself more slowly.

“Cannot get to you, 4-6-2, you’re on your own.”

The floor was cracking where the two men were lying, trying to bring Bobby and James up. James still hung limply, but Bobby struggled to reach the men above.

“James! Help me!”

“She’s gone,” he stared wide eyed, unable to focus on anything else. His hand moved slowly toward the release button on his belt. “I’ve got to find her, help her.”

Bobby saw the direction of his hand. “James, no!”

He yelled, fighting to reach safety, pounding James with his fist in a desperate attempt to break his trance.

The floor gave more, causing the men at the lip of the hole to falter and slide back just as Bobby’s hand brushed the air where they had been. A look of anguish crossed his face as he looked up at Matilda one last time.

“I love you,” he whispered as James’ hand reached the release button, sending them both to oblivion.

“NO!” Matilda screamed, throwing herself toward the hole.

Both men and Jane had to drag her away as the floor continued to fall inward. The entire center of the room was gone and deep rumbling warned of further cave in.

Second Wind: I am joined today by Dellani Oakes, author of the historical romance novel, “Indian Summer” available through Second Wind Publishing. Hello, Dellani, and welcome.

Dellani: Thank you. I am delighted to be here.

SW: What inspired you to write this novel?

D: When I moved the Florida twenty years ago, I was overwhelmed by the wealth of history. St. Augustine, as the oldest established city on the east coast, holds an extra special fascination for me. I wanted to bring a bit of that history alive.

SW: Why the time period, 1739? I’m guessing that’s significant.

D: Yes, it is. There was a great deal of enmity between the Spanish and British in Europe and Florida gave them another venue in which to fight. The British were constantly trying to take over the fort in St. Augustine, the Castillo de San Marcos. In 1740, they very nearly succeeded.

SW: Why all this fuss over Florida? Grant you, it’s pretty country, but with the climate and the diseases the mosquitoes carried, why would anyone want such an untamed place?

D: I asked that very question too. What I found during my research was that St. Augustine was a strategic military position. The Spanish were shipping their treasures from Mexico and Central America. They used the trade routes along the Florida coast. Those waters were full of pirates as well as British warships. Imagine what the British could have done to the Spanish trade routes if they controlled those waters instead?

SW: An interesting historical twist.

D: Yes, I think I just gave myself an idea for a new novel.

SW: Now that we’ve established a bit of the history, tell us about the story itself. Was there really a Gabriella Deza daughter of the Spanish governor?

D: No, there wasn’t. I tried very hard not to pattern her after a real person and did hours of research to find a name not common to the area. If Gabriella resembles any historical person, it’s purely coincidental.

SW: Give us a brief synopsis of your story.

D: The story opens in the spring of 1739 and Gabriella is almost fifteen. After an accident injures both Manuel, her father’s confidential aid, and Governor Deza, Gabriella is staying at the hospital to help care for them. She overhears a conversation between two British spies. They are talking about an attack on St. Augustine.

SW: What does she do?

D: She runs to tell her father, but he’s unconscious. Instead, she goes to Manuel. However, after a brief and very embarrassing conversation with him, it slips her mind.

SW: How could talking to Manuel make her forget something that important?

D: He is nearly naked, very handsome, well built and charming. Keep in mind, she’s only fourteen and he is an older man. She’s so flattered that he has shown interest in her, she simply forgets.

SW: How much older is he?

D: Manuel is twenty-one.

SW: Isn’t that a little old for her? She’s just a child.

D: Perhaps by today’s standards, but back then girls married young and their husbands were often even older than Manuel. It wasn’t unusual for a girl her age to marry a man in his thirties.

SW: Does she ever remember the conversation she overheard?

D: No, but when she is sick with a fever, she reveals everything to Manuel and her father. Armed with this information, they set a trap for the spy, but by mischance, Gabriella is caught in it. She is kidnapped by the spy, escapes and is rescued by a band of friendly Indians. Now Manuel must find her and get her back. Then he has to bring the spy to justice so they can be married.

SW: I trust it all works out?

D: You’ll have to read “Indian Summer” to find out. But I will say I do like happy endings.

Hello and welcome to my weblog! I am a newly published writer of historical romance, contemporary romance, crime romance and science fiction. My first novel, “Indian Summer”, is available at www.secondwindpublishing or Amazon.com. For those who like e-books, it will also be available soon on Kindle.

I’ve been interested in writing my entire life. I can’t remember a time when I had any other ambition. Until I got married and had a family, the dream was strong. However, due to having to raise children and concentrate on their needs, I set aside the idea of writing seriously until about seven years ago.

Since then, more than thirty novels are finished and waiting for editing, and at least that many more are still swimming around the guts of my computer waiting to be finished. One day, maybe I will get to them, but for now they wait patiently until I do.